In less than 24 hours, the Phillies will gird up their loins, or something, and take the field of battle in historic Chavez Ravine in front of tens of screaming fans (at least for the first three innings) in game one of the 2009 National League Championship Series. For those of you with a short memory span, these same two squads matched up last season, where the Phillies bested the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games en route to their second World Series Championship in the club’s history.
That series was not without it’s memorable moments: Chase Utley and Pat Burrell going deep in game one to give the Phillies the lead, Brett Myers throwing behind Manny and then knocking in a few runs, Huroki Kuroda throwing at Shane’s head, Shane hitting a two-run, game tying homer in the late innings of game four, Matt Stairs’ folk-lore inducing Moon Shot, Jimmy’s lead off homer in game five and Cole Hamels dominating the big stage.
With so much drama in last year’s series, it’s only natural to expect more of the same out of Philly/LA 2.0.
So come along with us, won’t you, as two of the Fightins Dot Com’s finest engage in a round-table discussion of this year’s NLCS.
Hit it, ATJ…
Dash Treyhorn: Mister Tug – what are your thoughts as we approach the second NLCS between our beloved Phillies and the Los Angeles in as many years?
Tug Haines: Well, besides the obvious thoughts, such as Cole needs to pitch his ass off, Blanton needs to start game four, the Phillies need to win, I’m looking forward to seeing if some of that bad blood boils up again when Kuroda faces Victorino. I’m thinking we’re going to see some fireworks, really truly verily.
Check it: You got Victorino, who is a knucklehead’s knucklehead. You got the added pressure of a NL pennant
on the line. You got the Dodgers looking for revenge. They almost rumbled last year during Game 3. There’s a backstory to these two teams in the playoffs that goes beyond 2008. Plus Larry Bowa. And Charlie Manuel. Baseball lifers. People are getting plunked, and that’s all there is to it.
TH: And I promise this. Broxton will be out there. And at some point, you know Cholly is going to put Stairs out there
to bat against him. This is going to be a fantastic series.
DT: Tugger, I couldn’t agree more. There is going to be more drama in this one series than in the entirety of Lifetime’s fall programming schedule. You’ve got former Phillies Vicente Padilla and Randy Wolf taking the hill in games two and four, respectively. Former Phils manager Larry Bowa is in Torre’s corner, as is Mariano Duncan. And just for kicks, Jim Thome off the bench late in the game. Then you’ve got Jayson Werth going against a team that let him go, Hamels taking on a team that he has owned in his career, Pedro and Chan Ho Park looking for post season glory agains their former club, Shane and Kuroda, Broxton and Stairs – How do you spell drama? N-L-C-S, baby.
TH: What about Lidge? Hmmmm. First of all, I’m pretty sure 2 of those games in LA in early June belonged to the Phillies until Bradley took the ball in the ninth. And let’s say that Brad Lidge has been capable of closing a short run of games here and there throughout 2009.
And while I think Brad Lidge is the MAN, I think his appearances in the NLDS were less about faith, and more about Lidge being towards the bottom of the list. Game 2, Hamels couldn’t seal the deal, and Cholly burnt through two STARTERS as relief for Pete’s sake, before going through damn near every man in the bullpen. Happ faltered early in game 3. I’m pretty sure Madson would have been the man pitching the ninth in that game if he hadn’t been needed to get us out of that pickle in the 7th . Had JA gone 7+, we’d have seen Eyre-Madson. Or maybe even just Madson. Lidge’s appearances in this season’s NLDS have been more about loyalty and necessity than anything else, in my opinion.
DT: Lots of talk about Clayton Kershaw taking the ball in game one. Just 21 years old and starting the opener in the LCS in just his second full season. What are your thoughts on the young lefty?
TH: I’m going to borrow a line from Lil’ Wayne: we gon’ Filet Mignon that pussy. He’s good, but the pitchers we have to watch out for are the ones we’re “supposed” to beat. Anyone with a ERA over 6 is not to be trifled with. I think the bats are going to take him out early, and Hamels is going to love playing in his namesake of a town and rise to the occasion. Phils dominate game 1. No questions asked.
DT: Not only that, have you seen his beard? He looks like he shaves in the dark. You don’t need to grow a beard if you don’t want to, son. Now, Jayson Werth, there’s some facial hair.
TH: Who is responsible for the most memorable moment of this NLCS, and what happens?
DT: My money is on Ryan Howard. The Big Man had another monster year, but it looks as if he is saving his best work for October. His two out double in game four in Colorado was the epitome of clutch, and he has the line of .375/.389/.562 to prove it. As far as the moment itself, I’m thinking Big Brown launches a 450 foot homer somewhere around 9:58 PM on October 21 to seal the Dodgers’ post season fate.
TH: Remember how The Moon Shot made Phillies fans believe last year? Would you say that clutch double was that moment this year? Because I had been waiting for a sign, and I know it’s still relatively early, but that looks like a sign to me.
DT: I’m going to take it even further – way back to Shane’s grand slam against C.C. Sabathia. That was the very moment that we believed. The Moon Shot was just icing on the cake. So to that end, I’d say that Howard’s double could be the catalyst for the 2009 Phillies. It represents their never-say-die attitude, their affinity for come backs, and their flair for the dramatic.
Throw in Cliff Lee’s dominance in the LDS, the offensive outburst from the middle of the order, and the fact that this team is once again the underdog – I’d say it has all the makings for another Red October.
TH: Game 2: Pedro vs. Padilla.
DT: This is why I love October – you never know what’s going to happen. Here is a list of things that had a greater chance of happening this season than Pedro facing off against Padilla and his mighty flotilla:
1. Transformers 2 NOT sucking
2. The New York Mets actually winning something
3. Brett Favre retiring (for real)
4. Major League Baseball deciding not to pick a lame 80s band and even lamer comedian to represent the playoffs
5. Darren Daulton being right about something
6. Saturday Night Live actually being funny
7. Joe Morgan saying something more insightful than “You know, baseball is a game with players. And those players go out there to play the game of baseball, which is what it’s all about.”
TH: Blanton in the Pen. Again. Is it just for Game 2? Why isn’t he starting?
With Hamels going in game one, Pedro in game two, and Lee in game three, then it makes sense to have Blanton available in the bullpen for the first two games. He can go an inning each game and still be ready to go in game four, where he will likely have at least two days rest if he goes in game two. Either way, you can do a lot worse than Joe Blanton in the seventh inning. Hopefully the starters can go deep and the offense can give some early support, thus making it possible to not even use Blanton out of the ‘pen.
TH: That’s a good point. I guess the most important thing is making sure a possible Game 7 falls on the well-rested shoulders of Mr. Lee. Maybe Happ gets #4 and Blanton gets #6. Trust Charlie, right?
DT: Trust in Charlie. Everything else is history.
40 Comments on “Point/Counterpoint – The NLCS”
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General
October 14th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
Phillies in 5
October 14th, 2009 at 11:53 pm
FIRST
October 14th, 2009 at 11:54 pm
DAMMIT.
AGAIN.
October 14th, 2009 at 11:58 pm
What Manny’s Jews said.
October 15th, 2009 at 12:29 am
I think when you look at the pitching matchups, if we take both of the games in LA, the Dodgers might as well mail it in. On the flip side, if we drop those first two the Phils can still lean on the fact that they have Cliff for 2 and Cole for another (I mean I hope that is a good thing). I feel like we can come back in this series if we have to, and I think it just might work out that way. I’ll take us in 7, and I won’t get an ounce of sleep after Wednesday of next week.
October 15th, 2009 at 12:48 am
if manuel puts stairs in against broxton it will just make my day. no matter what the outcome. hoping for moonshot part deux but it will just be great either way.
October 15th, 2009 at 1:00 am
i heard that beardo is on the roster for the NLCS……
October 15th, 2009 at 1:45 am
They should have picked a make a wish kid instead.
October 15th, 2009 at 9:40 am
any get me to the plate tee shirts yet?????????????????????????
October 15th, 2009 at 10:15 am
I wonder how many people Padilla will vehicularly manslaughter on the drive to the stadium?
October 15th, 2009 at 10:22 am
Asses will be hammered. Bank on it.
October 15th, 2009 at 10:24 am
As I’ve said all year, Bruntlett HAS to be on these teams. You assholes only look at the batting average. Multiple times in games 3 and 4 of the NLDS we needed an extra glove or runner that we just didn’t have. It limited the moves we could make. Ultimately the best decision to make was to put Cairo in LF for the biggest inning of the season? Wonderful.
October 15th, 2009 at 10:26 am
Now I can’t find any mention of Padilla being involved in any vehicular manslaughters in his home country, so I feel stupid. But I swear I heard that someplace.
October 15th, 2009 at 10:31 am
Phils in 5 if we don’t see Ethier in the 9th. Keep him out of the final 3 batters in the 9th then we shall own LA!!
October 15th, 2009 at 10:35 am
@ Sara: Take that “first” shit somewhere else. The only thing you’re first at is being annoying.
October 15th, 2009 at 10:39 am
I am excited for an entire broadcast of MANNY MANNY MANNY MANNY MANNY MANNY DODGERS YANKEES DODGERS YANKEES……
…and then when Utely draws a walk and The Big Man sends one out of the park to seal the deal, the announcers can start talking about how bad they feel for Clayton Kershaw.
I hope the announcers blow the Dodgers the whole series. It will make the victory that much sweeter.
October 15th, 2009 at 10:51 am
james fayleez, do you think anyone even acknowledges just 3 short months later that manny was caught using steriods. the convo has disappeared really.. the media/fans are a lot less cut throat about it than they used to be. they’ll talk about him as a great hitter rather than a guy who was just busted for PED’s
October 15th, 2009 at 11:02 am
God, I just realized how much I am going to be hearing “Manny being Manny” in the upcoming days. ugh.
October 15th, 2009 at 11:10 am
I think its hilarious how the announcers talk about Mannys 50 game suspension for steroids. The love talking about how well the Dodgers played “while Manny was away.” Like part way through the season Manny took a vacation or something.
October 15th, 2009 at 11:30 am
the feats of matt stairs are worthy of being chronicled in an anthem by RUSH.
October 15th, 2009 at 11:33 am
and i endorse chamomiles davis’ statements 100%.
and please, sara, keep that “first” stuff for other blogs. it’s buschleague like the rockies’ mascot.
October 15th, 2009 at 11:43 am
@Eric: Bruntlett is worthless. His sub-par baserunning and below average fielding, no matter how many positions he can do it at, is not worth having his terrible, awful bat in the dugout for Charlie to trot out in retarded situations. I’d rather have Kendrick. It’s the pitching that is going to matter in this series, not whether Eric “OPS+ of 21″ Bruntlett is on the roster.
October 15th, 2009 at 11:46 am
BONUS!!!
some awesome freakery today over at the sporting blog:
http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/the_sporting_blog/entry/view/39052/offsides_the_phillies_crash_las_party
October 15th, 2009 at 11:59 am
jd, i laughed and laughed
October 15th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
@ eric
couldnt agree more.
also didnt the bearded one score a couple very important runs in the world series last year?
October 15th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
@me What does that have to do with anything? Anybody could’ve scored from third on a chopper down the third base line with a bonus airmailed throw from Evan Longoria, and anyone could’ve scored on a slow groundball single up the middle from Pedro Feliz. I don’t know why people bring that up at all, it’s such a non sequitur
October 15th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
i dont know why anyone brings up regular season batting average when talking abt the playoffs. its such a non sequitur.
October 15th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
only heathens enjoy baseball
http://www.examiner.com/x-22944-Philadelphia-Christian-Perspectives-Examiner~y2009m10d10-Its-acceptable-to-be-a-Phillies-Phanatic-but-a-fanatic-about-Jesus–Not-so-much
October 15th, 2009 at 12:37 pm
@mcb, you’re late to the part, sry2say.
in any case, I’m glad to report that Crazy Cat Lady has written a follow-up to Jibberish Part 1.
http://www.examiner.com/x-22944-Philadelphia-Christian-Perspectives-Examiner~y2009m10d14-Phillies-followup
October 15th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
mcb that was soooo yesterday
October 15th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Anyone been to ESPN today? Amazing how they are hyping the bullpen of the Dodgers as the thing that could be the gamechanger. Hmm so basically after the Phillies rock the Dodger starting pitching and rack up 6 or 7 runs, that Dodger bullpen will sure shut them down. Great winning strategy. Anything to manufacture actual competition, ay ESPN?
October 15th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
I just got my Beat LA again hoodie today and I love it. Makes so excited and anxious for tonight.
October 15th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
quick bit of info im sharing across the boards: plenty of great tickets still remain for games 1 and 2 in LA. not stubhub tickets… dodgers.com tickets. isnt that awful?
October 15th, 2009 at 1:29 pm
@ jason:
wow. this is a rare case of the sequel being better than the original. she’s positively scientological in this one!
October 15th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
I’ve heard more about George Sherill and Ho Chi Quan that I ever need to hear ever again. It’s like the Dodgers have Dennis Eckersley AND Steve Bedrosian in there.
October 15th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
I like how on the front page of ESPN.com it says “The Penis Mightier” with a picture of Chase extending his bat outward… kooky
October 15th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
will.H artsough?
October 15th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
not me
October 15th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
will-do the tickets specify that in order to buy them, you must agree to show up for the entire game?
as opposed to showing up in the third and leaving in the seventh…..
October 15th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
you’re right i guess, id rather have them not sell tickets rather than have someone show up in the 3rd. that means the good fans have a chance to move closer. dodgers, good fans? i made a funny